Wednesday, September 15, 2010
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Current Headlines
• Practitioner Heads to Jail for Manslaughter, Killed Woman in Failed Abortion
• Republican Predicts Senate Gains, Thinks Pro-Abortion Democrats Keep Chamber
• Hearings Begin on Lawsuit States Filed Against Pro-Abortion Health Care Law
• Family of Slain Pro-Life Protester Jim Pouillon Remembers Him One Year Later
• Mitch Daniels Making Moves to President Run, "Truce" Abortion Comment Hurting
• Nevada: Harry Reid Loses Lead to Pro-Life Sharron Angle, Senate Race Now Tied
• Georgia Voters Favor Pro-Life Governor Candidate Nathan Deal Over Barnes
• Michigan County Votes to Drop Abortion Coverage From Employee Health Plans
• India Abortions Dropping, New Government Figure Shows; 6M Abortions Done
• Baby Found Born Alive Outside North Carolina Planned Parenthood Abortion Biz
Practitioner Heads to Jail for Manslaughter, Killed Woman in Failed Abortion
Hyannis, MA (LifeNews.com) -- Massachusetts-based abortion practitioner Rapin Osathanondh was sentenced to six months in prison today after pleading guilty yesterday to the charge of manslaughter in relation to his killing 22-year-old Laura Smith in a failed abortion.
Smith died in September 2007 at his Women's Health Center abortion business after Osathanondh failed to provide proper medical care after the abortion went awry.
Court Judge Gary Nickerson sentenced Osathanondh to two years in prison but the plea bargain took that down to six months and the abortion practitioner will be eligible for parole after three months. He must then serve nine months of home confinement with electronic monitoring.Osathanondh, who had faced a maximum of 20 years in prison, also received three years probation. The abortion "doctor" will not be able to practice or teach medicine, under the terms of the agreement.
With Smith's adoptive parents watching the proceedings, Osathanondh pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter following an agreement between Cape and Islands First Assistant District Attorney Brian Glenny and the abortion practitioner's attorneys.
The plea followed several hours of negotiating back and forth between Glenny, who reportedly spoke with Smith's parents during the exchanges. Defense attorneys Paul Cirel and Serina Barkley of Boston worked with Osathanondh, the Cape Cod Times indicated.
The newspaper indicated the agreement allows the abortion practitioner 24 hours to make arrangements to settle the civil lawsuit Smith's parents filed against him. Osathanondh agreed to pay the family $2 million as a punitive measure. Full story at LifeNews.com
Republican Predicts Senate Gains, Thinks Pro-Abortion Democrats Keep Chamber
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- The Senate Republican who heads the party's efforts to elect GOP members of the Senate says he thinks the party will make gains in this November's elections, but believes the pro-abortion Democrats who currently control the chamber will keep control of it until 2012.
National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman John Cornyn tells CQ he sees nothing on the horizon that would shift the momentum away from the GOP candidates who appear poised to join him in the Senate.
"I don't think anything that happens here, for example, over the next few weeks, can make things any better for the Democrats. It could make things worse," he said. "I think the trend line has been pretty consistent and is not going to change much between now and November."
Yet, Cornyn told CQ he doesn't think Republicans will win enough seats to give them a majority -- and the ability to stop President Barack Obama's pro-abortion agenda -- until the 2012 presidential elections.
Even if the pro-life lawmakers who lead the Republican Party in the Senate are unable to take control of the chamber, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell believes they will have a better ability to use the filibuster to stop some of the pro-abortion agenda Obama and his Democratic allies have promoted during his first two years in office. Full story at LifeNews.com
Hearings Begin on Lawsuit States Filed Against Pro-Abortion Health Care Law
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Oral arguments begin today in the case more than a dozen states have filed against the pro-abortion health care bill President Barack Obama signed into law. U.S. District Judge Roger Vinson, a Reagan nominee, will hold a hearing on the lawsuit filed against ObamaCare by Florida and 18 other states.
The suit claims the new health care scheme violates state rights and will cause economic problems.
The states say it illegally requires all citizens and legal residents to purchase health care coverage or pay a tax penalty. They say the measure violates the U.S. Constitution's Commerce Clause and the 10th Amendment granting states rights.
The National Federation of Independent Business is also part of the lawsuit and it argues the health care restructuring plan will increase costs for small businesses and adversely impact them.
For the pro-life movement, the big concern about the ObamaCare bill is the massive abortion funding it contains and pro-life groups have already had to work overtime to stop abortion funding planned in three states, Pennsylvania, Maryland and New Mexico.
The Justice Department is asking the judge to dismiss the lawsuit.
Regardless of Judge Vinson's ruling, the outcome is expected to be appealed all the way to the Supreme Court. Full story at LifeNews.com
Family of Slain Pro-Life Protester Jim Pouillon Remembers Him One Year Later
Owosso, MI (LifeNews.com) -- The family of Jim Pouillon, the slain pro-life advocate who was killed for protesting abortions outside a local high school, remembers him one year after the anniversary of his death. Harlan Drake, a 34-year-old local resident of this Michigan town, killed him because he didn't like Drake's images. Drake said Pouillon shouldn't be showing the images of unborn children killed in abortions to high school students, and he shot the man in a drive-by shooting.
Mary Jo Pouillon of Owosso told the Argus Press newspaper that she takes some comfort a year later in knowing how much her father's death impacted people and inspired them to be a part of working to stop abortions.
He always told me that he hoped that when he died that it was out on the corner doing work that God has called him to do. And that s exactly what happened, she said. And so many more people heard about his story and his activism and his cause because of his death. And he would have loved that.
Pouillon said she received hundreds of cards from all across the United States from people who provided her and the Pouillon family support and prayers following her father's untimely death.
She also said she appreciated the support of pro-life groups, who came to the area last month to honor him. Full story at LifeNews.com
 Medical professionals are on the frontlines of battle in life issues. From abortion to assisted suicide and euthanasia and all issues in between we are challenged in the workplace to defend our beliefs and risk our employment. The National Association of Pro-life Nurses has been here for nurses since the beginning of this battle. Join with us in our efforts to protect those voices. www.nursesforlife.org |
Mitch Daniels Making Moves to President Run, "Truce" Abortion Comment Hurting
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Indiana governor Mitch Daniels is making moves towards a potential presidential run in 2012 against pro-abortion President Barack Obama. While Daniels has a pro-life record leading the Hoosier state, his comment about a "truce" on abortion is coming back to haunt him.
Daniels has been engaging in private meetings, conversations and fundraising events with top political leaders, policy specialists and business executives, according to a new Politico report.
The dinners, taking place at the governor's mansion in Indianapolis, are meant to help Daniels introduce himself to heavy campaign hitters and to gauge potential support for a presidential campaign.
I was very impressed with Gov. Daniels, said James Huffines, a Texas banker who met with Daniels in June, told the news web site. I think he s a fresh face for the Republican Party and I hope he does run.
But what Daniels doesn't have is the good will of pro-life voters, who make up a significant Republican presidential primary election constituency. That's thanks to his comment in June declaring a "truce" on social issues like abortion.
Daniels told the Weekly Standard the next president "would have to call a truce on the so-called social issues." Full story at LifeNews.com
Nevada: Harry Reid Loses Lead to Pro-Life Sharron Angle, Senate Race Now Tied
Carson City, NV (LifeNews.com) -- The Nevada Senate race remains a cliffhanger as pro-abortion Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid has lost the lead he had over pro-life challenger Sharron Angle. The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of likely voters shows, with leaners included, the two are tied at 48 percent.
Two percent (2%) prefer some other candidate in the race, and three percent (3%) are undecided.
Two weeks ago, Reid led Angle 50% to 47% when leaners were included. Two weeks before that, Angle had a slight edge.
Leaners are those who initially indicate no preference for either of the candidates but answer a follow-up question and say they are leaning towards a particular candidate. From this point forward, Rasmussen Reports considers results with leaners the primary indicator of the race.
If leaners are not part of the totals, Reid and Angle are tied with 46% of the vote each. They both earned 45% support in the previous survey when leaners were not included.
This is the second survey in a row that suggests the numbers for both candidates appear to have stabilized. Ninety-one percent (91%) of Reid s voters say they're already certain how they will vote in November, as are 87% of Angle s supporters. Full story at LifeNews.com
Georgia Voters Favor Pro-Life Governor Candidate Nathan Deal Over Barnes
Atlanta, GA (LifeNews.com) -- Georgia voters favor pro-life gubernatorial candidate Nathan Deal over his challenger, Democrat Roy Barnes. A new Survey USA poll shows Deal has the backing of 49 percent to 38 percent for Barnes and Libertarian candidate John Monds had 9 percent.
Another four percent of voters in the southern state say they are currently undecided on how they will vote in November.
The poll was taken Friday through Sunday and the results cover 599 registered voters who said they are likely to vote in the governor's race in November.
The polling results showed 54 percent of independents supported Deal, while 34 percent favored Barnes and Monds picked up 18 percent.
Deal picked up support among nearly two-thirds of statewide voters (64 percent) who disapprove of the way the Obama administration is operating. Barnes's supporters include 83 percent of those who approve of Obama's job performance thus far.
The poll found 44 percent of Georgia voters say they are conservative, 38 percent moderate and just 12 percent liberal. Deal has a huge lead with conservatives while Barnes has a slight majority of the moderates and a large percentage of the liberals. Full story at LifeNews.com
Michigan County Votes to Drop Abortion Coverage From Employee Health Plans
Grand Rapid, MI (LifeNews.com) -- Kent County, Michigan has voted today to remove abortion coverage from the taxpayer-financed health care plans county employees receive. The vote could help spark a national trend to protect taxpayers from funding abortions for employees of state and local governments.
This morning, the Kent County Commission committee voted 9-0 to remove abortion coverage from the county health insurance plans.
The vote makes a formal request of County Administrator Daryl Delabbio to remove abortion coverage from the health insurance plans which cover Kent County employees.
Delabbio is requested to contact the county's 13 labor unions to see if they will be willing to voluntarily drop the benefit. If they do not agree to do so, the Grand Rapids Press reports, Delabbio is directed to negotiate the removal of the abortion coverage during the next county employee contract negotiation.
Commissioner Pete Hickey, a Democrat, put forward a motion to have the entire county commission vote on the abortion coverage removal, but it was defeated. Full story at LifeNews.com
India Abortions Dropping, New Government Figure Shows; 6M Abortions Done
New Delhi, India (LifeNews.com) -- A new governmental report shows the number of abortions in India is on the decline, but its says more than 6 million abortions are still done annually in the Asian nation. Family Welfare Statistics shows 6.41 million abortions done at 12,510 different institutions in 2008. That's an improvement over the 7.25 million abortions estimated in 2005, the 7.21 million abortions in 2006, and the 6.82 million abortions in 2007.
The high abortion totals for Indiana regions include Uttar Pradesh, which saw 89,194 abortions in 2008 followed by the 63,875 abortions done in Tamil Nadu, according to figures from the Times of India.
The Indian states of Orissa, Assam and Maharashtra rounded out the top five.
The newspaper said that, because abortions are legal in China and India, just 28 percent of women in Asia live in nations where unborn children are protected under law.
Despite the fact that abortions are legal, they still claim many women's lives, in addition to the unborn children who are killed. Full story at LifeNews.com
Baby Found Born Alive Outside North Carolina Planned Parenthood Abortion Biz
Winston Salem, NC (LifeNews.com) -- A baby has been found born alive outside a local Planned Parenthood abortion facility in North Carolina. A staffer at the abortion center found the child Saturday morning placed in a bin outside the building and reported the discovery to local police.
Captain David Clayton tells WMFY news that a preliminary autopsy on the child, who has since died, found the baby was placed near the Planned Parenthood alive.
The baby was a newborn white girl and was found wrapped in a blanket with a diaper on and wearing a one-piece outfit.
He believes the child's mother intended to abandon the infant safely under the state's "Safe Surrender" law. Similar to statutes in almost every state, the law is intended to reduce the number of infanticides by encouraging women who intend to abandon an infant to do so at a police station or hospital where the baby can receive medical care and be placed for adoption.
The Infant Abandonment Act, passed in 2001, allows parents to leave infants less than seven days old with a responsible adult at designated "safe havens" without facing criminal prosecution. Full story at LifeNews.com
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